FIC Report (Abia State) – The Abia State House of Assembly presided over by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Chinedum Enyinnaya Orji has passed a resolution mandating the State Ministry of Environment to liase with the Ecological Fund Office and all relevant Agencies of government to find an immediate and lasting solution to the erosion gully ravaging Umueze Amamba Uzuakoli community in Bende Local Government Area.
This followed a Matter of Urgent Public Importance brought before the House by the Member representing Bende South State Constituency, Hon. Emmanuel Ndubuisi on the devastating gully erosion ravaging Umueze Amamba Uzuakoli community which has gulped some buildings cut off the community from their kits and kin and is threatening their lives and prayed the House to intervene.
Ndubuisi in his prayers to the honorable House states as follows:
(a) Mandates the State Ministry of Environment to commence palliative works on the affected areas.
(b) That the House also mandate the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) to address the erosion in Umunze Amauba, Uzuakoli, holistically.
The House also entertained a motion brought before it by the Member representing Umuahia South State Constituency, Hon. (Barr.) Jerry Uzosike for immediate government intervention on the devastating gully erosion rampaging Ihenwekeala autonomous community in Umuahia South Local Government Area and committed same to its Committee on Environment to investigate and report back within two weeks.
Hon. (Barr.) Uzosike had in his motion informed the House that the gully erosion which is life threatening has cut off the people of Ihenwekeala from other parts of the area with millions of naira having been sunk into it by the community to no avail and prayed the House to intervene as well as mandate Abia NEWMAP and the Technical Committee to visit the erosion sites for an on- the-spot assessment and subsequent inclusion in the priority list for urgent action.
Uzosike lamented that Autonomous Community in Umuahia South LGA is presently under serious attack of gully erosion which has ravaged properties worth millions of Naira and threatening many others.
He further informed that the Autonomous Community has been cut off from the rest of the communities in Umuahia South LGA thereby impeding transportation of farm produce to neighbouring communities, and thet the people of the community and other Stakeholders in Umuahia South have made several passionate appeals to NEWMAP to come to their rescue but to no avail.
The House however, passed for second reading H.A.B. 59: The Abia State College of Nursing Sciences Bill, 2022.
The Bill which is for a Law to establish the Abia State College of Nursing Sciences and for Other Matters connected therewith and sponsored by the Majority Leader of the House, Hon. Solomon Akpulonu after scaling through the second reading was committed to the House Committee on Health for further Legislative action.
Okugo Nwadiuto Mabel
House Of Assembly
FIC Umuahia
